B&G Foods Inc., the maker of products from Ortega salsa to Pirate’s Booty snacks, may take advantage of low funding rates for debt-financed takeovers this year, said Chief Executive Officer David Wenner.

The food manufacturer and distributor will consider acquisitions if at least 60 percent of a target’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization can translate into free cash flow, Wenner said. Purchasing new brands is attractive, even as sellers are demanding higher prices, because of low-cost debt financing and potential tax benefits, he said. The company has no current acquisition plans.

“If you can buy the right properties, it certainly gives you the ability to do it at a very low cost from a financing point of view,” Wenner said in a March 5 telephone interview.

B&G bought three companies in 2013, including Robert’s American Gourmet Food LLC, the maker of snack brands, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company has averaged about one acquisition for each of the last 16 years, Wenner said.

It sold $700 million of 4.625 percent bonds due June 2021 last year to help fund the Robert’s buyout, according company statements. Total debt at B&G increased to $870.9 million as of Dec. 28, Bloomberg data show, from $631.1 million in the first quarter of 2013.